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Advise for new teachers? OK, I will start
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

teachingld2004,

Sorry to seem picky, but make sure you know how to teach "advise = verb" and "advice = noun".
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RPMcMurphy



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 90
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dedicated wrote:
teachingld2004,

Sorry to seem picky, but make sure you know how to teach "advise = verb" and "advice = noun".

I noticed it, but thought it was an Americanism.
On the subject of bringing a child, yes they will acquire Chinese effortlessly [but no quicker than an adult who applies himself] with sufficient input. This means they need to be in a situation where they receive sufficient input, such as kindergarten. And once back home, they'll lose it even faster than they acquired it unless its put into regular use. Believe me: been there.
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teachingld2004



Joined: 17 Feb 2012
Posts: 389

PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 11:08 pm    Post subject: advice Reply with quote

Yes yes, the word was wrong, I did mean advice.

I think it is easier for a child to learn then an adult, but that is just me.
Have a good day.
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GeminiTiger



Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 999
Location: China, 2005--Present

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:43 am    Post subject: Re: advice Reply with quote

teachingld2004 wrote:
Yes yes, the word was wrong, I did mean advice.

I think it is easier for a child to learn then an adult, but that is just me.
Have a good day.


My grammar and spelling suck (for an English professional) but the word is "than". But don't feel bad last week I misused "your/you're".
Laughing
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DirtGuy



Joined: 28 Dec 2004
Posts: 529

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just wanted to say a huge "thank you" to the experienced China people who took the time to post on this thread. I will bookmark this thread and probably even print it out and tape it to my mirror when I get there in a few days to start my China adventure. Somehow, I have this feeling I am going to need to read and re-read this advice many times in the coming year.

Anything else anyone wants to add is really appreciated.

DirtGuy
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RPMcMurphy



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 90
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:09 am    Post subject: Re: advice Reply with quote

teachingld2004 wrote:
Yes yes, the word was wrong, I did mean advice.

I think it is easier for a child to learn then an adult, but that is just me.
Have a good day.

There's been a lot of research done into second language acquisition. Superficially, the younger the child, the more rapidly they acquire, as opposed to learn, the language. But adults have distinct advantages in learning. Its a huge subject with no easy answers.
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creeper1



Joined: 24 Aug 2010
Posts: 481
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan

PostPosted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

zactherat wrote:
- - Don't get caught up in disagreements with colleagues. Notice how others that are able to turn the other cheek are stable and happy employees. Professional, not emotional.



I disagree. My advice is to be strong enough to walk out of a school if the higher ups are not respecting you or generally exploiting you.

AND

bring a lot of money. It costs so much to get started in this country. Your rent, agent fees, gym (if you choose to join one), internet etc all have to be paid for up front. The price of settling in can be much higher than you anticipated.
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chinesearmy



Joined: 08 Apr 2010
Posts: 394
Location: canada

PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Great Wall of Whiner wrote:
I'm noticing a lot of Chinese people here in Canada that are not following the same advice themselves...


I have adapted.
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Miajiayou



Joined: 30 Apr 2011
Posts: 283
Location: Nanjing

PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

creeper1 wrote:
I disagree. My advice is to be strong enough to walk out of a school if the higher ups are not respecting you or generally exploiting you.

AND

bring a lot of money. It costs so much to get started in this country. Your rent, agent fees, gym (if you choose to join one), internet etc all have to be paid for up front. The price of settling in can be much higher than you anticipated.


This is the only advice in the entire thread I can totally agree with. Much of the rest seems like newbie victim-blaming and desperate optimism.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fred13331 wrote:
I advise you to teach your students grammar, that is my advice.


But what (he cried) if your job is Oral English?
Do NOT teach grammar. Your CT colleagues can do that much better than you can and they can teach it in Chinese!
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RPMcMurphy



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 90
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I support the last poster. As I've said on this thread, teaching grammar is teaching about language. And unless you're an appropriately trained teacher, you won't be able to do that properly anyway. For instance, how do you teach the when, what and why of articles, or which preposition to use and why? Can you do this and keep students awake and interested at the same time?
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

... and do it in English that your students have even a hope of understanding.
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Denim-Maniac



Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Disagree strongly.

I can/do teach grammar points in my lessons, including articles. Articles by their very nature are a bit boring, but grammar points are an essential part of my oral classes.

Chinese teachers CANNOT teach grammar as effectively IMHO. What they can do is read out/give grammar explanations in L1 and ask students to go home and remember the rules. In terms of creating communicative competence that doesnt really help too much. Ever wondered why your Chinese students always confuse personal pronouns / sub+verb agreement / simple comparative forms?

And if you don't know about grammar or how to teach it using any of several common teaching methodologies ... maybe it's time to learn?

So my advice for new teachers is to ignore the myths that exist (mainly in China) that FT's can't teach grammar / shouldn't teach grammar. New teachers should invest in some simple training, and then apply the principles of that training into their classroom practice. They'll become better teachers and their students will appreciate and recognise it.

More advice for new teachers (or long standing ones) ... buy a couple of decent books and use them for ideas and to refer to.
'Learning Teaching' by Scrivener is a 'must-have' really.
'How to Teach Grammar' by Thornbury is another good book.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Totally agree with Denim-Maniac.
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sashadroogie wrote:
Totally agree with Denim-Maniac.


Seconded.

Warm regards,
fat_chris
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